Jammu and Kashmir: It’s the 14th anniversary of the Kargil war victory. Its pride and pain for the soldiers as the nation celebrates the anniversary of the war victory against Pakistan.
Kashmir has always been a disputed region. There have been tensions between Pakistan and India over the region. The war was fought due to the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the LoC which serves as the de facto border between the two countries.
The Kargil War started in the month of May in 1999. Dailybhaskar.com brings you the series of events during the war through some rare and unseen pictures.
The Kargil War began between India and Pakistan on May 8, 1999 when Pakistani army had illegally intruded on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) dividing the Indian territory of Ladakh from the northern areas of the state. It is believed that Paskistan had been planning the operation since 1998. The war ended on July 14, 1999 when both the countries withdrew troops from the border.
At the time of the intrusions, the LoC between Zoji La and Khardung La was thinly monitored by one Indian brigade (about 3000 troops), which was a totally inadequate force to monitor such an extensive terrain. Some local shepherds grazing their sheep in the higher reaches near Kargil first reported the intrusions. However, the intrusions were not taken very seriously.
On May 5, Indian army patrol was sent up after which five Indian soldiers were captured and tortured to death. Heavy shelling by Pakistani army destroyed the ammunition dump in Kargil. As the infiltration was being noticed in Dras, Kaksar and Mushkoh sectors, Indian Army moved in more troops from Kashmir valley to Kargil sector.
India continuously stepped up attack against Pakistan and ended up recapturing two key positions in Batalic sector. It was on June 15 that the then US President Bill Clinton asked the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to pull out from Kargil.
Till the end of June, India had captured two vital posts near Tiger Hill – Point 5060 and Point 5100. On July 4, India recaptured Tiger Hill after an 11-hour long battle. After Indian Army took control of Dras on July 5, Sharif ordered withdrawal of Pakistani Army from Kargil. The then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared Operation Vijay (Kargil War) a success and by July 26, Kargil War officially came to an end as Indian Army announced complete eviction of Pakistani intruders.